


Alcaeus

by mysweetbologna



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Andromeda AU, F/F, F/M, I love rarepairs apparently, Mass Effect AU, Post-Canon, where is the quarian ark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-09 08:08:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13477281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysweetbologna/pseuds/mysweetbologna
Summary: Pathfinder Jayne Ryder is ready for an early retirement with Vetra but her pathfinder duties aren’t over. A year after the events on Meridian, they discover a new cluster. Uncharted, untamed, wild and new, Jayne and her crew load up the Tempest for another adventure. Unable to contact anyone in the Heleus cluster, the Tempest crew must face foes old and new, find the Quarian Ark, and survive first contact, again.





	1. Message in a Bottle

Jayne Ryder clawed at the bed sheets, an inaudible gasp escaping her lips as Vetra’s incredibly dexterous tongue found that one most sensitive spot between her legs. Having been afforded the luxury of an hour of free time between meetings with Evfra and Tann, sex with Vetra was her immediate choice and her favorite activity. The young Pathfinder’s breath hitched once more when she neared the edge of that supernova that was her orgasm. Vetra’s mandibles fluttered against the insides of Jayne’s thighs, clearly pleased with herself at the young woman’s obvious pleasure. The tickling of the mandibles were enough to fling Jayne into dark space, exploding with relief and seeing stars.

Vetra crawled her way up the bed and laid down beside Jayne, wrapping her arms around her. She hummed in satisfaction and ran a taloned hand through Jayne’s tangled hair. They hadn’t spent as much time together after finding the arks and taking down the Archon. The year following their time on the Tempest had Jayne filling a more diplomatic role, and Vetra acquiring goods in an official capacity for Meridian. Jayne’s dream of settling down, as much as two people like them could, were dashed and the pair rarely saw each other but at times like these.

“What if we just, ran away?” Jayne rolled over onto her side to face Vetra, blinking sleepily as she looked toward her lover. Lying with her in a post-coital haze happened to be another one of Jayne’s favorite activities.

“And where exactly would we go?”

“We’ve always got a place in Kadara, or the new settlement on Eos. It doesn’t really matter where, just anywhere but here, doing this-”

“I quite like what we’re doing right now,” Vetra interrupted, her eyes gleaming with mirth at her cleverness. Jayne huffed in mock annoyance before grinning sweetly at Vetra. They fell into an easy quiet, holding each other so closely that their naked bodies were no longer defined as separate. This was definitely preferable over arguing with Director Tann or securing land for another outpost. Eos and the other settled planets flourished post-Archon, the original outposts running out of room. Jayne spent a large majority of her time scouting out new locations with a team of scientists, negotiating treaties and deals with the Angara and Collective in order to get they land they wanted. That’s where Jayne’s celebrity status came into play; saving the cluster from the Kett went a long way to gain agreement, and if it didn’t, a call to her any one of her infamous contacts did the job for her. In return, the Initiative helped with the rebuilding efforts on Havarl. “In all seriousness though, I can do my work from anywhere. Just say the word Jayne, and we’ll go.”

Jayne pressed her lips against Vetra’s nose in a soft kiss. She would forever be grateful for Vetra pushing herself into her life a year and a half ago. Their song and dance of flirting with each other, but not realizing what the other was doing, lasted only briefly until Jayne died once. From that time on they were were inseparable, side by side in all they did, before their work took them separate ways after the events on Meridian. During their daily vid calls, Jayne saw how excited Vetra looked about a trade deal she negotiated, felt the tangible passion her girlfriend exuded every time she talked about delivering much-needed goods to outposts and camps. Vetra appeared happy in Meridian, doing wonderful work that she was meant to do, building relationships and contracts between the outposts and Meridian. Yet Jayne knew that Vetra would just as easily pick up her work and take it on the road if asked. However selfish Jayne felt for wanting that, she would never dare ask. She was happy with Vetra right where they were, if it meant that the threat of exaltation no longer chased after them.

“I know, I know. It’s all hypotheticals though. Things will settle down eventually, or Tann will fire me.” Jayne kissed Vetra again and felt the low rumbles from her lover vibrate against her skin. She wished that there was an easier way for their lives to coexist where the answer wasn’t one of them quitting their jobs. Hell, if they could just go back to their days on the Tempest, Jayne would hand over her two weeks with barely a second thought. The freedom of exploring and going wherever called to Jayne over the stuffy meetings and and routine examination of land.

_Pathfinder, sorry to interrupt, but Scott and Pathfinder Raeka are looking for you at your quarters. I suspect it is of the utmost importance as they are currently pounding on the door._

“Not now, SAM. I’m not due for another meeting for…” Jayne quickly rolled over to check the small alarm clock next to Vetra’s bed. Vetra frowned, as much as a Turian could, her mandibles pulling in tight against her face. Jayne gave her a one-shouldered shrug in response. “For another thirty minutes. They can wait until then.”

_I am afraid that they will not wait. Their course has changed, Pathfinder. They will arrive in five minutes._

With a groan befit a child on the verge of a tantrum, Jayne forced herself into a seated position. Thankfully she had had the foresight to leave all her clothes in one pile next to the bed right next to her boots. Vetra also took the opportunity to dress, though more quietly than her counterpart.

“What is it, Jayne?” Jayne glanced over her shoulder as she tugged her pants on and zipped them.

“Scott and Raeka. SAM says it’s important.”

“Isn’t it always important?” Vetra winked at Jayne while she finished buckling on the light armor she always wore. It was the same armor that had seen months of battle across Heleus, but it was so well cared for that it looked just as it had the first time Jayne saw her in it. Jayne couldn’t say the same for any of her armor; her current quarters and her room on the Tempest were both stuffed with discarded and broken pieces, burnt, scratched, and full of bullet holes after too many close calls. A soldier through and through, Jayne threw herself in the center of all the action, a habit that had gotten her into more and more trouble with the requisitions officer each time she showed up on the Nexus.

“One day it won’t be.” Jayne shoved her foot into her remaining boot when a knock on the door called her attention in its direction. A moment later, the door slid open.

_They are here, Pathfinder._

“Thanks, SAM.” Jayne wondered if the delay in SAM’s announcement was intentional, because what else could it have been? SAM’s ability to use sarcasm and tell jokes improved dramatically over time that she often thought the AI meant to terrorize her, humorously though.

Scott and Raeka traipsed into the room, the latter following closely on Scott’s heels. Jayne’s brother panted heavily, resting his hands on his knees after coming to a stop in the center of the room. Raeka stood nearby, hands resting on her hips, clearly under no distress from whatever physical exertion led them to Vetra’s room.

“Hey, Sis. You aren’t- you aren’t going to believe- what Raeka found.”

“I only found it because you had the idea of looking that far out. It was really a spectacular effort on your part.”

“Raeka, I was _high_ when I mentioned it. Normal me wouldn’t have suggested it.” Jayne’s level of annoyance began to deflate as the pair went back and forth over whatever it was they had found. She ribbed Scott endlessly about his relationship with the Salarian pathfinder, but he only ever told her that they were friends. The lobster-like shade of red his face turned every time Jayne brought it up said otherwise. No matter what their relationship was, friends or more, she was pleased that they got along so well. Apart from her crew and Reyes, Raeka and Scott were her only companions outside of being Pathfinder. She just hadn’t imagined that Scott would end up working on Raeka’s ship.

“You were more able to be creative and think without parameters, bringing you to the conclusion that we weren’t looking in the right places, or for the right things!”

“Scott. Do you have something to tell me, or did you interrupt my free time just to be an ass?”

“I gave you and V plenty of time to canoodle. Why are you so grumpy?” Scott stood up straight and asked Vetra the same question. “Why is she so grumpy?”

“She only got laid once, so that might have something to do with it. Next time wait twenty more minutes. I guarantee she’ll be happier.” Scott stifled a laugh at the sight of Jayne’s icy glare. They thoroughly enjoyed talking about Jayne’s sex life in an attempt to embarrass her, bringing it up at inopportune times normally. Jayne retaliated by mentioning Scott’s list of conquests in front of their friends.

“Jayne, this is-”

“We think we found it.” Raeka pushed by Scott, wringing her hands together over and over again. “Well, we found a way to track it potentially. Scott and I-”

“I’m sorry, what are we talking about?” Vetra interjected, stopping Raeka before she got carried away. The Salarian pathfinder had a tendency to talk and talk until one thought she might turn blue, but that never happened.

“Right, sorry. Um. We found the ark. The uh… the Quarian ark.” Silence encased them all like a tomb as they all took turns looking back and forth at each other. Scott merely shrugged when Jayne turned to him, mouth slack jawed in astonishment. For such a huge claim, Scott had a very mild response to her confusion and shock. He didn’t hold any doubt in the way he carried himself or in his eyes, so he had to believe it was true, right?

_Shall I lock the door and shield the room, Pathfinder?_ SAM spoke through all of their comms.

“Yes, SAM.” Jayne waited for SAM’s confirmation that the room was secure before proceeding. Vetra gestured to the table on the right side of the room, large enough for all of them to sit. The two pathfinders and Scott took their seats, settling around the table in an uneasy quiet. Vetra stood behind Jayne, one hand resting on her shoulder. “What do you mean, you ‘found it?’”

“SAM, bring up the results from last night.” Raeka set a hologram projector in the center of the table. It sprang to life, a large display of the Heleus cluster floating in front of them. It flipped through each system, settling on Civki, a system on the outer reaches of Heleus.

“You’ve been sitting on this since last night Scott?”

“You know, I hate it when you say my name in that tone. All high-pitched and just like Mom when I got in trouble at school.” Raeka glanced at Scott, giving him a look that would have been a raised eyebrow if she had them. Scott was right, Jayne sounded just like their mother after one of Scott’s many ‘adventures’ that got him brought home by C-Sec. Usually Jayne ended up being roped into it too, putting both of the twins at the unsettling end of their mother’s disappointment. For such a sweet, soft spoken woman, Ellen’s withering glare disarmed even their stoic and reserved father. “I was high, Jayne. Incredible weed, by the way. Where’d you get it?”

“Kadara. Now focus.”

“Right, sorry. Anyway, I was monitoring incoming transmissions, just to see if maybe something would turn up. And there was this weird garbled sound. I couldn’t really make it out so I thought I would try looking somewhere else. So I expanded the range on the comms, changed some things around and bam! We heard it! We weren’t even sure if we were actually getting real information until we ran the data again this morning. We’ve cross examined this so many times that my head actually hurts from looking at the map of Heleus.”

“I told him after the fifth time that it was indeed accurate information, Jayne. But Scott is right. We would have mentioned it last night, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. So what exactly did you two find?” The hologram of the Civki system expanded, showing the four planets that inhabited it. A small red light flashed on the outskirts of the system, home to Khi Tasira, the Remnant city they encountered a year ago. The map zoomed in on the flashing light until it’s location was in the center of the holo.

“A very weak radio transmission. I barely caught it until Raeka told me to stop fiddling with the transmitter. We almost lost it until Raeka, thankfully, heard it again. There wasn’t much of a message to hear, but what we did hear was significant. SAM, play the transmission.” Scott leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. His hair was longer than the last time Jayne had seen him, some three months ago. He had always kept it longer than Alliance regulations, parted and combed over to one side. Now he wore it all slicked back and shaved on the sides. The style suited him quite well. His body looked softer too, less hard muscle and lean limbed, more curves and fuller cheeks. There wasn’t really a gym to keep up weight lifting or training of any sort, only the unrelenting cardio of running around in firefight. Firefight that Scott only saw when he the Archon captured him and held him hostage. Scott met Jayne’s stare, screwing his face up into a horrifying shape. Jayne laughed quietly, free from her distracted thoughts.

“ _I’ve cleaned up the audio the best I can. Playing transmission.”_

“Repeat- this is- vas Keelah Si’yah- attack. Ship crash landed- toxic air- trapped inside. Repeat- this is-”

“ _The message is being played on a loop, Pathfinder. It is unclear what the rest of the message is, however, we have garnered enough information that we might be able to find them.”_

“Scott? Raeka?”

“Okay so, you have to just listen, okay, Jayne? It’s going to sound crazy. Like so crazy that if anyone else heard this, the Initiative would probably drop all of us like the Alliance did with Dad. Just-”

“We examined the atmospheres of all the planets in Heleus. Out of them all, twenty four are still uninhabitable by all species despite restarting all the vaults and uncovering Meridian.”

“That narrows the search down a little bit, but it’s still a lot of traveling to go to all of them.”

“Right. So, we cross examined those planets’ original far range scans from before we left the Milky Way with current scans. Only three showed new, unidentified structures of substantial size. One in Govorkam, another in Meos, and lastly, a planet in the Layan system.” The map switched to an overview of a planet in Govorkam. “This is Thy’vernos. Utterly useless at this point in time. It’s all rock and frozen methane. Methane levels suggest that it is dangerous if we land. It would take some serious heat to melt it all, but an ark could do the job. So far the best scans we have are from would-be miners from Kadara, but nothing that covers the whole planet. There’s something on the far side that we can’t see.”

“Is it safe to land there?”

“For a smaller vessel like the Tempest, of course. Helmets required though.”

“I could send a message to Keema, see if she can get a team to investigate,” Vetra suggested, squeezing Jayne’s shoulder gently. “That way we know if it’s worth the time flying out there. If it turns up a lead then we can go out there and look for ourselves.”

“Are we sure that we want to involve the Collective,” Scott asked. The original, shaky alliance with Reyes and his figurehead, Keema Dohrgun, continued to stand despite several bumps along the way. Some of the Collective’s members didn’t agree with their newfound tie to the organization that exiled them, and sought to end those ties. Things were settled down though after a lot of placation, at least for the time being. “I know you two trust them…”

“Keema owes me a couple favors.” Vetra’s tone indicated that there was no need to discuss the matter further. She stepped away from the table and opened her omni tool, typing up a message to the Collective leader.

“Moving on then. This is Pas-29, out of the Layan system. There are more volcanoes than there is flat land. Oh, and you’ll absolutely love this, a constant downpour of sulfuric acid rain. Scans indicate a large mass near the northern pole of the planet. That is where the most concentrated amount of volcanoes exist though.” Scott grinned mischievously, pleased with himself over his own sarcasm.

“There’s no way that they would have survived a crash landing on that. And there’s definitely no way we’d be able to land or even get into the atmo to see if the ark is there.”

“Jayne, I still think it’s worth getting close to it, just for a scan. We have to see, just to be sure. Please.”

“I don’t know, Scott. We’ll see. Raeka, what’s the other planet?”

“Vael, out of Meos. Atmosphere’s completely irradiated, so could be the toxic air in the message. The ark would have been built to withstand radiation up to a certain extent. One of our ships though, would most likely not make it, not without a lot of upgrades.”

“That would be difficult to explain to the Initiative.” She had broached the topic of trying to search for the ark several times with Tann and he turned her down every single time. _There will be time for that later, Pathfinder,_ he informed her. Clearly Tann’s interests did not align themselves with finding the Initiative’s missing people. It also cost way too much for the kind of upgrades Raeka was suggesting. Jayne leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. Scott and Raeka watched her with expectant gazes, both waiting for her to say something. They performed solid research, narrowed down the possible locations, Jayne could give them that. But her gut made her feel uneasy. The rhyme and reason of how the ark may have landed on any of those three planets didn’t sit right. “What doesn’t make sense though, is their trajectory over Heleus. How do we have a transmission out near Khi Tasira, but possible landings at three systems that aren’t even close to it?”

_If I may?_

“Go on, SAM.”

_I assisted in Pathfinder Raeka and Scott’s research. It is possible that the Keelah Si’yah also encountered the Scourge and changed course in the direction of any of the planets. Two of the systems are uninhabited. The transmission could easily pass through Heleus undetected until Scott picked up the loop. With more close range scans of the planets, we will be able to further investigate._

“It doesn’t feel right.”

“C’mon Jayne. It’s a lead, it’s better than what we had before.”

_Pathfinder, just a reminder that your meeting with the Resistance leader is starting in five minutes. Should I let him know that you will be late?_

“Look, Scott, Raeka. You’re onto something, I can see that. But my gut feeling is telling me that this isn’t where they’re at. We’ll wait to hear from Keema, and I’ll think about looking into getting a ship out to Pas-29 and Vael for a few scans. But it’s not a definite yes from me yet. There has to be something more because all of this plus the transmission? It doesn’t make sense to me yet.” Jayne pushed back her chair and stood, ready to get away from the palpable frustration that Scott was casting in her direction. “Thank you for bringing this to me. I’ve got to get to this meeting or else Evfra is going to be grumpy for a week. See you later, guys.”

Jayne hurried out of the room after her hasty goodbye, speed walking all the way to the conference room where a vid call with Evfra waited for her. The humans of the Initiative took up residence in a sector of buildings near the base and center of Meridian. The transition from the Hyperion to the sector proved tedious, but worthwhile. Before long, the other Pathfinders would make the transition to their own home worlds. And, if everything went right, their last ark would also be home with them in Heleus. The Milky Way’s explorers would have their place in the Andromeda galaxy, and life would finally begin for them all.

There would be time to think over Raeka and Scott’s presentation after her meeting with Evfra. But for now, it was back to her duty as Pathfinder: continuing the negotiation of peace and coexistence.

_Evfra de Tershaav is on the line, Pathfinder._

“Pathfinder, you are late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you made it through the first chapter!! wow thank you!! i've created a playlist: 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/1234702229/playlist/6NZVVCyzqVicM5rrwrDWiU?si=YnWLfjVwR7eEArrH8rtzFQ
> 
> so far it has the songs updated for the first three chapters! i plan on updating every thursday! i hope you all enjoy, please feel free to leave feedback/love/comments/etc because this is going to be the labor of my love and im GOING to finish this (I pinky swear). <3


	2. She Tastes Like Summer

It took several days of correspondence with Keema before she and Vetra reached an agreement that Jayne felt comfortable with. They went back and forth over what was appropriate; Keema wanted something in return for the favor, while Vetra kept reminding the figure head that she did indeed owe them favors, that this was only a formality that they asked her. By going through the Angaran rather than Reyes himself, Vetra and Jayne were covering their own tails, once again protecting the true identity of the Collective leader. Upon that reminder, Keema agreed to send a small team of three ships to the frozen rock that was Thy’vernos, performing a thorough sweep of the planet’s surface. The team would be flying close enough to the surface to discern if there was anything that matched the ark. In the case that they did find the ark, they would hail Jayne themselves and emergency services would begin. In the opposite case, the team would return to Kadara and Jayne would have to find a way to search the other two planets. Everyone hoped that they didn’t have to look further. 

Jayne lounged on the couch in her small office, reading over the exchange one more time on her omni-tool. Keema’s team left an hour prior; none of them expected news for at least three hours, the first check in point. Until then, Jayne would wait impatiently, pouring over her work to try and keep herself busy. With no more meetings or calls for the rest of the day, Jayne only had a few messages to reply to before she could leave. With Vetra off planet for the next two days and Scott and Raeka supervising a retrofit of the Salarian pathfinder’s ship, there was little for Jayne to do with her free time. 

She’d been by her mother’s pod already that day during lunch, where Dr. Carlyle assured her for what seemed like the 1000th time that they were doing everything they could to find a cure for her mother’s illness. Even with the medical advances the Initiative gained by allying with the Angara, the science teams were still no closer to an answer than before the trip to Andromeda. There were a few leads, but nothing came of them yet. 

With the last message in her inbox read and replied to, Jayne locked down the terminal and her office, stepping out into the dimly lit hallway. As the Pathfinder that saved everyone, she always had work to do, keeping her at work until late into the night cycle on a regular basis. Like any other night when Vetra was gone and she was home, Jayne planned to crawl into her bed, turn on a vid, and pass out within the first ten minutes of it. The primary Initiative building was empty save for the skeleton night crew. Kandros’ on planet counterpart waved at her as she passed by, calling out after her.

“Have a good night, Pathfinder!”

Jayne waved back, quickening her pace until she reached the wing with all of the Pathfinders’ quarters. Each Pathfinder had a designated suite, with separate living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, much like the apartments on the Citadel. Just like her room on the Tempest, and her room in the Milky Way, there was clutter everywhere: armor strewn across a couch, several guns taken apart and laid across the dining table, discarded clothes on her bedroom floor. One of these days she would have to get everything cleaned up. But that was not this day. Jayne shrugged her jacket off before collapsing onto the large bed, it’s blankets and sheets twisted from last night’s restless sleep. 

“SAM, wake me up in an hour and a half. Also please remind me tomorrow to have someone come by and clean.”

_ Of course, Pathfinder. Would you like me to go over your schedule for tomorrow?  _ Jayne kicked her boots off, one after another, before curling up under her blankets. Tomorrow was supposed to be an even busier day, ending with a flight out to Aya. 

“No thank you, just please wake me up in time for a shower.”

_ Of course, Pathfinder. _

“Thanks, SAM. Good night.”

_ Good night, Jayne. _

~~

Jayne woke the next morning after SAM’s mental prodding, feeling better rested than usual despite the two wake up calls she received from Keema’s search teams. So far they  discovered nothing of importance, just a few large land masses that were no doubt what Raeka found in her scans. At the team’s current rate, they’d be done by early afternoon, which begged the question, what were they going to do next? There wasn’t enough explaining and posturing in the world to convince Director Tann or the Council of a reason why they needed to bulk up the Tempest to go investigate a volcano infested planet or the irradiated surface of Vael. 

After a few more minutes of lying in bed, Jayne forced herself into the shower, scrubbing herself clean beneath the scalding, steaming water. With yesterday’s work washed off of her, she could start the day clean, with a clear mind and a fresh face. Another day of disagreeing with Tann, listening to Evfra’s complaints, and serving the new Council awaited Jayne. She wished her dad was still with her. Then the whole Pathfinder mess would fall on him, someone much more suited for politics and diplomacy. Jayne missed the science and the fighting of the job; she wanted to be out there with Peebee, discovering more Remnant ruins, taking out pockets of Kett. Would her life ever return to normal? The water turned cold while Jayne stood beneath the shower’s spraying, her forehead pressed against the wall while the water ran over her body. 

_ Pathfinder, there is a new message on your terminal. Would you like me to read it to you? _

“Please.” Jayne turned the shower off, letting the cold water drip from her stringy, lilac-colored hair across the tiled floor. Soon she’d have to go get it done again; her black roots were starting to show, which wasn’t a bad look per say, but it certainly didn’t look great. While Jayne waited for SAM to read over the message, she started her routine of makeup and brushing her hair and teeth. 

_ It is from Superintendent Kesh. She states that your trip to Aya is cancelled. Director Tann is going on his own to work with the Angara. The Council is suggesting you take that week off to rest and prepare before your trip to Eos next week.  _

“Suggesting?” Jayne dropped her brush onto the counter next to the few cosmetics she owned. The Council never suggested anything. They made demands and requests and if they weren’t met, hell would be paid. Jayne possessed an uncanny ability to cause hell and havoc when she didn’t do everything they asked. Being forced on leave made things a little bit easier for her though. She still hadn’t decided how to convince Tann she needed the Tempest to go investigate Pas-29 or Vael, and now their absence provided the perfect opportunity to get a team on a ship to perform more scans of the remaining two planets. Two ships, if they were lucky enough. 

_ The tone of the message implies that they are requiring you take the week off. May I suggest some activities occurring on Meridian this week, Pathfinder?  _

“Later, SAM. I need to meet up with Scott.” Jayne rummaged through her closet for clean standard issue Initiative clothing in the matching shades of black she preferred. She grabbed a pair of socks of the floor, sniffed them, then performed the one legged, delicate act of hopping around on one foot, and then the other as she tugged them on. Once she finished dressing in mostly clean clothes, Jayne left her mess of a room behind in favor of finding Scott. 

A quick tracking program placed Scott at Raeka’s suite on the other end of the Pathfinder Wing. Jayne thought it a little early for Scott to be there, but she promised herself she wouldn’t say anything about it in front of Raeka. While she enjoyed endlessly teasing her twin brother, Jayne held the utmost respect for the Salarian. The two shared a bond after the events on the Salarian ark, one that tied them together forever. Only they truly understood what happened on that ship, the difficult decision that Jayne made, and that decision’s aftermath. 

Jayne stopped outside of Raeka’s suite, her hand balled up in a fist ready to knock on the door when she heard the sound of Scott’s voice coming from inside. It was too faint for Jayne to make out what he said, but she could hear Raeka’s laughter in response, soft and intimate. Raeka murmured something after, followed by the rustling of cloth and pitter patter of footfall on the tile floor. Waiting a minute longer, Jayne knocked on the door. Almost instantly, the door slid open, revealing a tousled looking Scott, his hair in disarray, pulling the hem of last night’s shirt down over his chest and torso. 

“Jayne, hey! What’s up?” Scott leaned against the door frame, an innocent smile on pasted on his otherwise guilty face. Jayne’s eyebrow arched, her arms crossed over her chest. He grew red in the cheeks, eyes darting over his shoulder in the direction of Raeka’s bedroom. So it was exactly as Jayne thought, at least the relationship part of it. She wasn’t exactly sure about sex with Salarians, although her imagination was running wild with ideas.

“Thought you might want some breakfast before we get to work.”

“Work? You know I don’t have clearance for the shit you do.” Jayne patted his shoulder as she barged passed Scott and into Raeka’s rooms. She was much tidier than Jayne: armor and weapons locked away in a display cabinet in the living room, dishes put away, floors swept. All the furniture was identical to Jayne’s, sleek, white, and industrial looking. Jayne walked around, stopping to look over a book sitting on an end table. She began flipping through the pages, not even bothering to read the pages. Raeka’s SAM must have informed her that Jayne had arrived, because why else would she have let Scott answer the door? 

“I’m on leave for the week. So I have some free time to work on some personal projects. Got a problem with that?” Jayne slammed the book shut and set it back on the end table, making her way around the rest of Raeka’s suite. The door to the suite slid to a close as Scott hurried to follow Jayne around. 

“No, I don’t. It’s nice that you finally get a break. What I do have a problem with is you butting in so early in the morning.”

“That’s what big sisters are for though, Scotty.” Scott scowled at her over the kitchen island where Jayne leaned against it, her arms resting on the counter, chin propped up on her hands. She gave him a sweet smile, goading him. “Besides you’ve been keeping things from me.”

“It isn’t your business, Jayne. Leave it alone.”

“Yeah, but I want it to be my business. I like Raeka. And your my brother. I just want you to be happy and if Raeka gives that to you, then I’m happy for you.” Scott’s eyes fixated on a spot on the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. Tension built between them as Scott continued to glare at the counter. He kept opening his mouth and then closing it, unsure of what to say. Jayne always stood by him through all of the messy relationships, the one night stands, and yet he had questioned whether she would stand with him for all the good things. With how busy the Initiative and the Council kept Jayne, she wasn’t always there anymore. Jayne felt the need to reassure him that he would always have her support.

“I really like her, Jayne.”

“Duh. Now can she come out of hiding so that we can actually talk?” Scott chuckled, the air free of its former tension. The door behind them opened with a soft whir, Raeka’s head poking out to look at them, a chagrined look on her face. Jayne waved at the Salarian, beckoning her to join them in the kitchen. Raeka did just that, fully clothed in a twin to Jayne’s own outfit. 

“Good to see you, Jayne. Thought you had a trip with Tann.”

“He decided to go alone, put me on leave for the next week until you and I leave for our trip to Eos next week.” Jayne inspected her hand, glancing at Scott and Raeka. Scott, comfortable with Jayne’s newfound knowledge of his relationship, kissed Raeka’s forehead softly, much to Raeka’s surprise. She slipped her arms around Scott’s waist. Their quiet intimacy made Jayne ache for Vetra, not for sex, just for the sake of being close to the love of her life. Vetra wasn’t answering Jayne’s messages, busy negotiating a deal with Reyes and the Collective. Jayne hoped that Vetra might be able to take the week off as well so they could spend some much needed quality time together, even if that meant scouting out a volcanic planet on the Tempest. 

“So, Jayne, what’s this about work?” Scott interrupted the comfortable quiet that had settled over them, taking the opportunity to step away from Raeka so he could start rooting through the fridge. Thankfully Raeka’s fridge was stocked to the brim with food, very unlike the kitchen in Jayne’s suite. 

“With Tann out of the way, it’ll be a whole lot easier to take the Tempest for a quick trip. We could hop on over to Pas-29, try and get a few scans and see if we can’t narrow down the source of that signal.”

“Why the change of heart? The other night you said...” Scott set out the ingredients for scrambled eggs and toast, cracking enough eggs for all three of them. Between Jayne and Scott, Scott inherited their mother’s cooking talents; Jayne spent more time familiarizing herself with takeout menus for her favorite restaurants. However, any sort of takeout was still a developing thing on Meridian. Everyone focused more on building up resources, and less on fine cuisine and food delivery. 

“I thought it over. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to at least try. Besides, I’ve got free time and won’t have to delegate the job to someone else.” What Jayne didn’t say however, was that a visit to her father’s monument changed her mind. The monument itself was a tiny thing, a small statue in a hallway off of the Cultural Affairs center. There were several other statues of notable figures that passed: Jien Garson, Macen Barro, and Matriarch Ishara, to name a few. Seeing Alec’s face immortalized in stone challenged Jayne’s decisions. Alec Ryder was a man of conviction, if nothing else. When he believed in something, he believed in it with his entire being, taking chances and risks until everyone else also believed in it too. Where would the Initiative be without his work on SAM? Without his utmost belief that there was something better out there for all the races in the Milky Way? 

What kind of Pathfinder was Jayne if she hadn’t even learned anything from her father? Of course, Scott more closely followed in their father’s path, and Jayne in their mother’s. But surely Jayne picked up something along the way. She needed to put her trust and belief in Scott and Raeka, to have a little faith in them. There was always going to be a chance that they were wrong about the transmission, and then it would be back to square one. But there was also always going to be the chance that they were right. No way would Jayne be able to live with herself if she did nothing about it when she alone had to power to make something happen. 

Scott gave her a knowing look, one that made Jayne feel uncomfortable under his scrutinizing eyes. She calculated and made logical decisions. Admitting that she was wrong, even if it wasn’t in those words, made Jayne uneasy and Scott knew that. Normally Scott called her out on it, but this time, he was going to just let it happen. 

“Well one of us would have to stay here, with the retrofits going on right now. If both of us and Scott pack up and leave, it might be too suspicious. We’re already crossing a line by not reporting the transmission.” Raeka tapped her fingers against the counter. She was planning something, Jayne could tell, what with the small crease in her forehead when she scrunched up her face in thought. 

“You’re right. Which is why you’ll have to stay here, Raeka.”

“If Raeka’s staying, then I’m staying, Jayne. You don’t get to decide who stays and goes,” Scott interjected, scrambling the eggs in the pan. 

“She’s right Scott. If even two Pathfinders leave together, it’ll be suspicious. If you go with Jayne, it could be seen as a family trip or something. No one will be none the wiser.”

“It’ll raise a lot of red flags for the Initiative if we both left to investigate something, especially after Tann has shut me down so many times. We have to be extremely careful about this.” Jayne understood Scott’s frustration because it matched her own with not being able to do anything besides listen and do what she was asked (when she decided to listen anyway). 

“I still don’t like it. No offense Jayne, but we found the transmission, not you.” 

“I know. And when the time comes, I want it to be the both of you that find the ark. This is your mission; I’m just here to help.” Jayne took a piece of perfectly crispy toast and spread a pat of butter across it. She took a bite out of the toast and groaned in pleasure. There was nothing better than real food after months and months of MREs, even if it was just a piece of buttered toast. Jayne flashed a wide, toothy grin at her twin brother. The corner of his mouth lifted up, a smile growing on his face. Scott didn’t need much encouragement. “What do you say, Scott? You up for a vacation to a volcano?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone so far for the love! I'm chugging away at more chapters! <3


	3. Major Tom

It only took the trio a few short hours to figure out their plan and alert the Tempest crew of what they were doing. Suvi took a little prompting to step away from her work studying all the new wildlife on Meridian, but after a quick explanation, she dropped what she was working on and joined them. Of course Gil and Kallo were up for another adventure, even if it was just a hop, skip and a jump away. Vetra worked her magic and managed to take some time off from her own work, promising Kesh that she was going to spend that time relaxing. It wasn’t a complete lie. Jayne couldn’t convince the others to join them, which suited the mission just fine, but reminded her once again that everything had changed after finding Meridian.

Cora was off training Vederia still, acting as the young Pathfinder’s mentor until she had more experience. So far the Asari proved a better Pathfinder than Sarissa. Vedaria learned quickly, already a beloved leader among her people. Voeld proved to be much more hospitable once the ice and snow melted, transforming into a lush garden world habitable for the Asari and very similar to their descriptions of Thessia. The taller peaks of the mountains still held snow, adding a sense of majesty and serving as a reminder of just how far they had come since their arrival in Andromeda. 

Drack left them shortly after taking out the Archon, returning to Elaaden with the rest of the Krogan. Lexi managed to keep tabs on him, and last she heard was that he was off chasing the enormous worm with a couple other Nakmor clan members. He wrote at least to Jayne at least twice a month to remind her that he still lived, complaining about some ache or new missing organ, followed by a reminder to treat Vetra right.

Peebee told them that under no circumstances would she travel to another active volcano after what happened with Kalinda on Pas-10.  _ I’ve been there, done that, _ Peebee wrote in her reply to Jayne.  _ But if you find any Remtech, send it my way.  _ Jayne promised to do so, already having known that that might be the answer. 

Liam took a position as the human ambassador on Aya for the new Council. He spent most of his time on the Angaran world working side by side with Jaal to better the relations between the two species. Jaal answered the call for the both of them: they were in the middle of outfitting a new embassy for the Initiative and couldn’t leave their work just in case someone decided to undo it all. He wouldn’t say who, but Jayne had a feeling that there was still a little resistance from some of the local leaders on Aya. It felt like all it took some days was a look, or the wrong tone of voice, to cause their alliance to come crashing down from its infant stage. 

They planned to leave that same night after they finished preparing the Tempest for travel. Gil and Kallo were already on board, checking flight systems, stocking rations, all under the cover of Jayne and Scott’s vacation. Suvi would take a shuttle shortly after they left, boarding the Tempest outside of Meridian space, the shuttle then heading to Havarl to perform another study. They would plan a return meet up once they knew exactly when the planned to return to Meridian. Tann claimed that the pathfinders possessed free reign when it came to using their ships, but the message didn’t quite reach the docking crews, reporting every move, every passenger, back to the Initiative leadership. Now with the Council in place, taking the Tempest anywhere without watchful eyes made Jayne’s extracurriculars far and few between. 

Jayne already knew she was going to have a difficult enough time explaining why she was orbiting a volcanic planet. Scott came by the idea to turn off the tracking systems and comms, to try and swear SAM into keeping their secret, but the radio silence would be even more suspicious. She would just have to suffer the consequences, stumble through an excuse, and hope that neither Tann or the Council asked too many questions of her. Fortunately with a little prompting from Vetra and Sid, their departure would be kept quiet in the Initiative outpost’s communications office, chatter kept to a bare minimum and disguised as a routine cargo ship departing for Eos. 

Vetra finished packing her bags in record time, bringing a few change of clothes, her cherished assault rifle, and an unopened box of Blast-Oh’s. Jayne still wasn’t entirely sure where Vetra stashed the cereal; she always seemed to have an endless supply of it. Even Sid didn’t know where Vetra hid all of it. At least that’s what Sid claimed. The last time Jayne asked about it, Sid gave her a non committal shrug and ended their vid call with a rushed goodbye. 

Jayne stuffed her Initiative issued duffel bag with her own spare clothes and weapons, packing a set of hard weave armor, lighter than her official armor that lay scuffed and scratched on her dining table. She had no intentions of leaving the ship for any reason, however she felt better prepared and more calm with the armor in her bag. Vetra lay sprawled across Jayne’s bed, flipping through something on her omni tool, goading Jayne every so often to hurry up. 

“We’re only going to be gone for five days, babe.” Jayne rolled up a pair of socks and shoved them into the already overflowing duffel bag. With a satisfied grunt, Jayne forced the duffel bag into submission and zipped it shut. Vetra glanced up at her, humming in quiet amusement at her girlfriend’s struggle with the duffel bag. Indeed, Jayne packed far more than any of them would ever dream of needing during their short trip. 

“I know. I’m just nervous I guess.” Jayne sat down on the edge of her bed, clasping her hands together between her legs. The bed shifted under Vetra’s weight as she crawled across to where Jayne sat. She slipped arms around Jayne’s waist, hugging her softly from behind. Jayne felt herself relax in Vetra’s arms, the tension in her limbs disappearing almost instantly at her touch. Even though they weren’t going on a leisure trip, Jayne looked forward to spending the next five days uninterrupted with Vetra.

“Are you worried about getting found out?”

Jayne shook her head. 

“About not finding anything?”

“Yeah. I mean what if we don’t? We were so lucky tracking down the others. Compared to this, they practically landed in our laps. I don’t want to let down Scott or Raeka after they worked so hard on sorting out the transmission and tracking down these planets.”

“They know the odds just as well as you do, Jayne. Despite what some people think, you aren’t a miracle worker. No offense.” Vetra’s mandibles fluttered against the back of Jayne’s neck, tickling the sensitive skin, an act that she hoped would cheer Jayne up and pull her out of the funk she had fallen into within the last few hours. Behind closed doors, Jayne’s confidence waned, revealing the true nature of the pathfinder. Things had drastically improved over the last year, but there were still moments of doubt that haunted Jayne. 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, V.” 

“Listen, all I’m saying is that you don’t have to be the only one to take the weight of all this anymore. Share the burden with the other pathfinders.” Vetra mock yelped, rubbing the soft skin on her neck where Jayne pinched her. “I know you won’t. But it can’t hurt to try anyway. Plus, it’s easier to share the blame when shit goes south.”

_ Scott is waiting at the docking bay. He is very impatient Pathfinder.  _

“We’d better get going, V. Scott’s waiting for us and you know how much he loves waiting around.” Jayne rose to her feet and leaned her head down, nuzzling it against Vetra’s. From the very beginning of her journey as Pathfinder, Vetra was the rock upon which she leaned, the ever present support system that kept her moving forward. As cliche as she felt, Jayne couldn’t imagine her life without Vetra in it anymore. She had never noticed the missing presence that followed her around all the way through Alliance training, through N4 school, and all the way 600 plus years into the future. Something just seemed to click though when they first spoke on board the Tempest when they traveled to Eos for the first time. The romance that blossomed between them in the time after was soft and hesitant, filled with questioning looks, awkward flirtations, and poorly disguised attempts at hiding it from the Tempest’s crew. It wasn’t until after Jayne died for the second time that the pair fully came to the realization that neither of them were going anywhere, now or in the future. 

Vetra was right, it was time to share the burden, the blame, and the success. Jayne hoped, for all their sakes, that they found the Keelah Si’yah in one piece. Sharing with four sounded more appealing than sharing with three. Together, Jayne and Vetra gathered their belongings and set off for the docking bay where Scott waited for them. Jayne finally started to feel a little excitement over the fake vacation, a feeling reminiscent of the beginning of her journey in Andromeda. 

Scott greeted them with his hand folded up into a rude gesture before slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Once he was done flipping Jayne off and drawing attention to them from a few docking bay staff members, Scott lowered his voice.

“Suvi’s waiting on the shuttle. They’re scheduled to leave in a half hour, so we really need to get a move on you guys.”

“We would have been on time but-”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Let’s just get going, okay?” Scott cut Jayne off with an exasperated sigh, his patience clearly worn thin. Jayne glanced at Vetra with raised brows before turning and following after her twin as he stalked away toward the Tempest in a huff. 

Boarding the Tempest felt exactly like coming home after a long day of work: peace and relief flooded Jayne, to the point where she no longer strained under the doubt and stress of her lack of confidence. In the last year, Jayne made use of the Tempest plenty of times for trips to outposts or to other planets to unearth viable land. Those flights never held the same meaning or feeling, lacking the sense of adventure that helped Jayne fall in love with her ship. The adventure had returned; Jayne’s stomach churned and somersaulted in nerves and excitement for the first time in a year. Vetra laughed under her breath at the sudden change in demeanor and threw an arm around Jayne’s shoulders, pulling her closer. 

“Everything’s good to go. All the checks are green, fuel’s full, and we’re stocked up for a week and a half, just in case.” Jayne heard Gil and Kallo, who stood at the bridge with Scott gesticulating wildly as they spoke about the ship’s readiness. They only had minutes before they needed to be in the air. There wasn’t enough time to catch up now; that would have to wait until after they went into FTL. Scott laughed over something Gil said to him and clapped him on the back as he passed by.

“You ready to go, Pathfinder? Kallo’s set the course, just waiting on your word.”

“I’m always ready. Let’s get this show on the road already.”

“Aye, aye, Captain. You hear that, Kallo? The Pathfinder is ready to go.” Gil, cheeky as ever, winked at Jayne. He pressed on, leaving Scott, Kallo, and Jayne at the bridge. Most likely he was joining Vetra in the research lab where he would pester her about their last game of poker. Vetra lost horribly, much to Jayne’s amusement, and still had a sour taste in her mouth for the engineer. 

“Ah, yes. Pathfinder, good to see you as always. I’ll have the Tempest in the air right away.” Kallo slipped into his seat, Scott into the other. They went back and forth, finishing the flight checks with an eagerness that matched Jayne’s. She gripped the back of Scott’s chair, watching, waiting for the Tempest to take off. The giddy knot that formed in her stomach whenever they first took to the sky made its appearance. The Tempest jolted as it slowly lifted from the ground. “Course set for Pas-29. Ascension is green.”

The grin that split Jayne’s face spread from ear to ear the higher they climbed into the sky until the docking bay was but a speck behind them.


	4. On the Road Again

Suvi’s lilting voice filled the bridge, regaling all of them with stories of her research and experiments, of licking more rocks than she could count, and of how the little things in her day to day life reminded her of the Tempest crew. Upon boarding the ship, she presented the five of them with small geodes that she found, followed by the promise of  _ “I didn’t lick these, I swear.”  _ Jayne turned hers over and over in her pocket, fidgeting with it every so often, using it as a tool of comfort. The journey to Pas-29 took almost two days which left plenty of down time to catch up with her friends and reorganize her belongings in her room. 

At the beginning of their first full day in FTL, Keema passed on her finished report of the search team’s findings on Thy’vernos. They didn’t find anything of consequence, only large mountains and other abnormally shaped landmasses that had appeared since their initial far range scans in the Milky Way. Keema did comment on the apparent melting of the planet. Temperatures on Thy’vernos increased dramatically due to the terraforming system in place, revealing potential mining deposits that she wanted to look into at a later date. Despite the disappointing lack of good news, Jayne wished the Collective leader the best before signing off of the call. 

Jayne went to find Gil in Engineering, only to find it devoid of his booming voice and cursing. It was rare for him to not be there, for Gil was always tinkering or ‘fixing’ something. There was something to be said about the man’s brilliance when it came to improving and running the Tempest; Gil was a master of his trade there was no doubt about it. Kallo still didn’t approve of his methods, but the pair compromised where they could and the Tempest ran even more efficiently than it had before. 

Gil, besides Vetra, turned out to be one of her closest friends on her ship. They spent more nights than Jayne could count staying up late, playing cards, drinking, and dissecting every moment of their lives together. The existential humor they both shared fueled them into making incredibly stupid decisions that Vetra occasionally participated in. More times than not, their shenanigans landed the pair in the medbay where Lexi clucked at them like an old mother hen. Gil was the first Jayne told about her infatuation with Vetra, the first she cried over her father’s death with, and the first she told when Scott woke up. 

Figuring that Gil was either sleeping or on the bridge with Kallo and Suvi, Jayne retreated to her room. The expanse of the window that looked out into deep space overwhelmed her every time she entered the room. Even through the effects of FTL and the way space seemed to flow by like water, Jayne still managed to make out stars as they passed the ship by. She yearned for the constellations and skies back in the Milky Way, for the familiar change in the night sky’s dotted complexion with each passing season. Here in Andromeda, they were just beginning to name the stars, creating shapes and stories out of the new night sky. A team of astronomers asked the Pathfinder team for suggestions for a few of them and to Jayne’s surprise (or lack thereof), all of her ideas were rejected. They told her that there was no way in hell they were going to name a constellation “Big Licker.” Jayne still thought that a certain little collection of stars she spotted while on an overnight visit to Kadara Port looked a lot like a giant tongue. 

The Pathfinder suite remained mostly unchanged except for a change of bedding, a new rug, and a different coffee table. After a night of heavy drinking with Liam and Jaal the last time she visited Aya, Jayne attempted to reenact a firefight where she leapt off of the top of a Remtech spire. She found out the hard way that the table was not meant for jumping off and back on to. It wasn’t until the next morning when Jayne suffered from a devilish hangover that she realized that it collapsed under her repeated jumping. 

Part of her collection of artifacts and rocks still resided on the desk in the corner of the room to make it seem more like home, and less like a borrowed room. All it was missing was her collection of assault rifles, mismatched armor, and Blasto comics. Jayne collapsed spread eagle onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The same, familiar air vent greeted her with a puff of cool air, the fixation of many a session of lying on her bed staring blankly for minutes or hours at a time. It was a point of contention that Jayne battled within herself; while there were reports to be read, Kett to eliminate, outposts to build, Jayne felt more comfortable staring at the ceiling until she either developed laser vision and burned a hole in it or went absolutely crazy. Neither were truly likely to happen, but a girl could dream. To this day, she still had not won a staring match with the vent, much to her dismay. 

It seemed like a good time to talk with Lexi. On Meridian, Jayne stayed busy enough that there wasn’t time for the hyperfixation that haunted her as it did on the Tempest. Planetside, she knew that when she woke up the next day there would always be something new to do or see. On board the Tempest, the day after day travel wore her down. The biting voice of second guessing and failure grew louder in the empty spaces of the ship. There was too much riding on this trip 

Jayne turned onto her side before she committed herself to an hour of blankly looking at nothing and closed her eyes. Maybe she just needed a nap to pass the time until the weird funk she was in dissipated. Or maybe it wouldn’t. She wasn’t really the gambling sort (especially when she played cards with Gil) and besides, she would just be betting on her own dysfunctionality. The odds were already in her favor. 

~~~

Kallo hummed quietly from his chair at the helm of the chair, bobbing his head from side to side to whatever jaunty tune he was entertaining Jayne with. She spun around in the co-pilot’s chair absently, goofing off more than doing actual work like paying attention to the dashboard and its flashing lights or helping Kallo fly the ship. Not that he really needed any help flying the Tempest. The only times that anyone else piloted the ship was during the brief breaks Kallo would take and he mandated that either Suvi or Gil had to be on the bridge. Jayne protested, informing the Salarian several times that she was more than capable of flying a ship. Every time he responded with a discerning look, and stated,  _ “I’ve seen you drive the Nomad, Pathfinder.” _ Fair enough.

Her omni-tool pinged, alerting her to an incoming message from Sid. Jayne skimmed through the message and stopped spinning around in her chair. So far no questions were raised about the Tempest’s whereabouts, although Sid promised to still keep her ear to the ground for any news. If they made it through the entire week without anyone batting an eye at the Tempest’s and her own absence it would be a miracle. 

“Jayne, are you listening to me?” Jayne’s attention snapped in Kallo’s direction, who watched her with an annoyed look on his face. 

“Well I was for a little bit.” Kallo gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. She grinned sheepishly at him, shrugging her shoulders. “What were you saying, Kallo?”

“Pathfinder Raeka informed me that she’s very close to securing a homeworld for the Salarians. Lush with fauna and flora, mountainous in places, even a nice strip of beach that isn’t too rocky.”

“Mm… I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about, Kallo. No one has said anything to me about it.” Kallo shot her another look, eyes flashing with annoyance at the flippant response. They both knew that she helped Raeka with finding the homeworld, though Jayne’s participation was minimal at best. Raeka on her own found the planet, scouted out resources and tentative outposts, only coming to Jayne when she hit a wall with Addison. For whatever reason the colonization director stonewalled Raeka at every turn. She kept coming up with excuses on why it wasn’t time to wake up the Salarian pods they recovered. It wasn’t until Jayne started waking them herself that Addison was forced into action, granting Raeka clearance to start building an outpost for colonization efforts. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Jayne. Zevin told me everything. I think.”

“Man, Raeka is way worse at keeping secrets than I thought.” Jayne continued to spin around in her chair, pushing off of the floor with the heel of her boot. She wondered how Raeka managed to keep her relationship with Scott quiet if she was out telling Kallo about confidential trips to colonize a planet. “Look, all I’m going to say is that the news will be coming down the line once Tann comes back from Aya.” 

“That’s… that’s sooner than I thought.” Jayne grabbed the dash with all it’s glowing buttons and screens, stopping the chair from spinning once again. Kallo cleared his throat, focusing rather intently on the the console in front of him. The soft hum of the computers and the ship filled the bridge, covering them like a blanket. 

“What’s wrong, Kallo?”

“N- nothing is wrong. I’m fine.” Jayne doubted that. She knew him well enough to know when something bothered him. The sudden change in mood was her own trademark; she was not accustomed to seeing it in her friends. There would be no use in trying to force Kallo to talk about it though, so she left him with his thoughts and turned her attention back to her own console. Kallo’s soft muttering could be heard, though it was difficult to make out the words. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“What about it doesn’t seem real?”

“That it’s finally happening. I’ve been here for almost four years now. Waiting for this to happen. Tann talked and talked about it, kept telling us to wait. That we would all have our homeworlds. ‘Soon’ he said. I didn’t know ‘soon’ would take this long. But now that it’s time, I’m not ready for it.”

At a loss for words, Jayne waited quietly for Kallo to continue. She couldn’t begin to tell him that she knew how he felt; she had had the fortune to wake up and have colonies and a new homeworld almost handed to her in comparison to the wait Kallo experienced. What Jayne did understand was that after over 600 years of floating around in space, it seemed impossible that they were all finally going to have homes in Andromeda. No matter how much she traveled, in the Milky Way and now Andromeda, Jayne knew she had a home to go to. Kallo was finally getting that here. Who was she to downplay how Kallo felt? His suffering was not the same as hers.

“I feel obligated to tell you Jayne. Once they start colonizing, I’ll be joining.” Kallo glanced at her from his side of the bridge, a cautious turn of the head the only indication that he was even looking at Jayne. 

As much as she wished that her whole crew would stay with her forever, it only made sense that they would all move on to roles that better suited them. Kallo wasn’t an exception to that. Jayne couldn’t expect him to not want to join his people in settling their homeworld, and she definitely wasn’t going to force him to stay. After all, just because they were all off doing other things, bettering the galaxy and all, it didn’t mean that they weren’t there for each other anymore (even if it felt that way sometimes). 

“Your silence is comforting, Jayne. Seriously.” 

“Sorry, I’m just… I’m glad that you told me.”

“You’re not upset?” Of course she was upset, but not in the way he was thinking. Jayne shook her head. 

“Absolutely not. I’m happy for you, Kallo. That’s a big decision to make and I’ll support you no matter what. You deserve this.” Kallo sighed in relief, a small smile blooming on his face. Jayne watched him from the corner of her eye. Neither of them were willing to look at the other, maintaining a comfortable lack of connection. Jayne didn’t think she would have the courage to talk if he was looking at her. “You aren’t limited to the Tempest. There’s a whole galaxy to explore, and it’s time for you to explore your new home.”

“Thank you, Jayne. I was worried. I don’t want you to be alone up here.”

“Kallo, you will always be a part of this ship and this crew. I count myself lucky to have you in my life, no matter where you are. I won’t be alone.” Jayne carefully swiped at her eyes, wiping away the tears that started to form before they had the opportunity to turn into a full on meltdown. She had to save that for later when she was alone in the comfort of her room. Crying was counterproductive to the positive message Jayne conveyed. 

“You’re going to make me cry. Quit it, Jayne.” Jayne laughed. Everything would be alright. 


	5. The Pretender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some soft PTSD warning, so just a heads up. I just don't want to upset anyone!

True to form, Gil crushed them all in poker during the remainder of their flight to Pas-29. He gloated during and after each game, claiming he now had enough credits to buy an infamously expensive bottle of scotch at Kadara Port. Scott accused the engineer of swindling them all, even going so far as to call Gil a cheat. Gil laughed it off and only patted Scott on the shoulder, his good-hearted nature prevailing over Scott being a sore loser. Jayne couldn’t help but be amused by her brother’s losses; he made risky bets and never knew when to fold. Plus, his poker face gave him away every time: it wasn’t hard to guess what Scott’s hand was when he pursed his lips so tightly that they turned white in effort. 

Between games of poker, sleeping, and shifts on the bridge, Jayne sparred with Scott in the cargo bay. Off to the side of the Nomad, they cleared a space large enough for them to circle around each other and throw a few punches, even ones that accidentally connected with each other’s faces. The mental strain of focusing on hand to hand combat was more than enough to keep Jayne occupied; the added benefit of working out residual anger or despair didn’t hurt either. Stripped down to her sports bra and a pair of athletic shorts, Jayne readied for another round with Scott. He was the only one on the ship willing to spar with her and he was beginning to tire. Despite exploring a career in science after joining the Alliance, Scott still maintained a talent in hand to hand fighting, putting Jayne through the paces. He fought dirty with a mean sleight of hand trick that snuck up on her. Jayne had the advantage: where Scott was quick and could get in dozens of hits in mere minutes, Jayne possessed an uncanny ability to stay on her feet and take one hit after another. All she had to do was outlast her opponent until they started to slow down and falter, then she would strike. Throughout Alliance training, both were praised for their respective talents, but Jayne almost always came out on top. 

“Last one, I promise.”

“You said that five rounds ago, Jayne.” 

“It’s not my fault you fell for it.” Jayne grinned ferally, adrenaline pulsating throughout her body as she waited for Scott to make a move. She watched him with a steely gaze, waiting for the telltale twitch of his arms before he struck. 

There it was.

He went straight for her chest with his right hand, impossibly fast in his attack. Jayne threw up an arm in time to block it, anticipating that Scott’s next move might follow right after. Blocking his first attack left her left side open; Scott saw his opening and took advantage of it, launching his knee up with lightning speed that left Jayne with barely any time to dodge it. As quickly as she could, Jayne stepped to the side, but not far enough. His knee clipped her side, throwing her out of her groove. She stumbled away from him, gaining a little distance from Scott’s roulette of swinging limbs. 

No doubt she would be covered in bruises tomorrow, black and blue splotches all over her body. The tender pain was gladly welcome after the bone breaking feeling of dying twice. Jayne and Scott circled around each other, their feet shuffling back and forth over the mats they had laid down on the floor. Maybe she would get lucky and Scott’s weariness would set in sooner; then Jayne would get in a few hits that knocked him on his ass and she would be the winner of today’s sparring. Unfortunately, hand to hand combat was less luck and more strategy, especially when fighting with Scott.  

They traded a few more blows, all the while Jayne kept her cool, even though every inch of her body seemed to have individual pulses. Scott started to falter, his feet no longer moving with quite the same energy as before. Jayne finally saw her opportunity to strike, moving in on Scott. She jabbed at him with her right fist, and it glanced off of his arm. Quickly, while he was still off balance, Jayne swung out with her left fist. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Instead of ducking his head like he looked like he would, Scott stepped forward in an attempt to strike at her. Both of them watched each other with horror in their eyes as Jayne’s fist connected with Scott’s right eye. 

Vetra would later joke about how Scott’s painful groan could be heard all over the ship with how forcefully Jayne struck him, which did very little to make either Jayne or Scott feel better about it. Scott clutched his eye as he stumbled backward, crashing into a pile of crates. 

“Scott!” Jayne rushed forward, leaning over him as he nursed his wound. “Fuck, Scott. I’m so sorry. Let me see it! Are you alright?”

“Just- just back up Jayne. It’s fine. I’m fine.” Scott waved her away. The tone of his voice did nothing to reassure Jayne; instead it only made her more guilty and even more worried. 

“Scott, I didn’t mean to. I thought you were going to duck and you stepped forward. Fuck me, I’m sorry.” Jayne ran a hand through the sweaty strands of her hair, pacing anxiously in front of Scott. He prodded his eye carefully, hissing in pain until he was finally done assessing the damage. Bruises were already starting to form around his eye; he’d have quite the shiner tomorrow. 

“Just deck me, or something. I feel terrible.”

“Jayne, shut up. It was an accident, okay? I’m going to be fine. I’m not going to punch you in the face just because I fucked up.” Scott gave her an easy, yet pained grin. Still riddled with guilt, Jayne offered her hand to help Scott up from where he still sat on the disheveled crates. She helped him to his feet and patted his arm awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. Sure, it had happened before, but only ears and chins. If their father were still with them, both would be receiving a lecture that would leave them groaning. 

“Dad always hated it when we fought in the house. He was always worried that we were going to break something,” Jayne offered after a few moments of awkward silence. The sweat on her skin started to dry, causing goosebumps to ripple across her body. She would definitely need to shower before going and seeing anyone else. Jayne’s stomach grumbled, reminding her that it had been too long since she last ate. Shower, then food. 

“Remember when you got that nice roundhouse kick in but it shattered Mom’s vase because your aim was shit?”

“My aim was shit? Let’s talk about how you decked me square in the chest and I broke the coffee table in half when I landed on it.” 

“I’ve told you Jayne, I meant to do that.” Scott side eyed her, a grin on his face as he chuckled softly. 

“Bullshit.” Jayne wrapped an arm around Scott’s shoulder, squeezing him lightly. The pair leaned against the the pile of crates that still stood, untouched by their fighting. If Scott was joking about it, then he truly wasn’t upset. The guilt only nibbled at her instead of drowning her. “It looked to me like you were trying to reenact that scene from Mom’s favorite movie.”

“Well she was impressed, after she grounded me for knocking you out and breaking the table. She’d be pretty damn proud of us now.” Scott leaned his head against Jayne’s, mussing her hair as he rubbed his head back and forth. Annoyed and a little disgusted by Scott’s sweat now dripping on her, Jayne pushed him away with a grunt. She crossed her arms over her chest, but a smile still made its way to her lips. “Jaynie, when you died-”

“Which time? The first or second?”

“Either time, smartass. When you died, did you see anything? Was there that great bright light that they always talk about in the movies? Was he there?”

Jayne sobered up quickly. As close as they were, her brushes with death weren’t a popular topic of conversation, for many reasons. It made Jayne uncomfortable when people mentioned how lucky she was to have a second, or a third chance. She also didn’t enjoy explaining that the second time she died was intentional, that she laid her life in the hands of an AI, hoping that SAM would actually bring her back. Her first death was but a fuzzy memory, something that happened to her passively. The second time on the Archon’s flagship? No, it was the one thing she didn’t want to think about at all. Lexi told Jayne time and time again that she needed to stop harboring those feelings, to talk about it. Jayne would promise that she would, and they would both move on until the next time. 

“I don’t really remember much of it. Maybe there was a light, maybe there wasn’t.” She struggled to find more words that described the experience, because maybe it was finally time to tell someone. “I remember that it felt peaceful, like I could finally rest, even after being asleep for over 600 years. I didn’t want to come back from that peace because it was so warm and comfortable and I felt truly happy.”

“Jayne-”

“You asked, so listen.” Jayne took a deep breathe, squeezing her arms even more tightly around her body. She wasn’t suicidal. However, sometimes she wondered if it would have been easier to accept her fate the first time around. But then she wouldn’t have met Vetra, or spoken to Scott again, or found out that her mother still lived, that her family wasn’t nearly as fractured as she thought it was. But that warm slip into whatever came after life still haunted Jayne, even if she told herself that she was perfectly happy where she was. “I don’t want to die, okay. That’s not what I’m saying. I just- fuck, I don’t even want to think about it. But I’m here and I wouldn’t change that for anything in the galaxy. Not in a million fucking years. Everyone keeps saying how lucky I am though, like it’s some kind of consolation. Because how can I feel lucky when you were in a coma, Mom and Dad were both dead, and everyone expected me to save them?

“It’s unfair that I was left alone to pick up all the pieces.”

“I know you felt like you were alone, Jayne. And maybe you were. Hell, you still might feel that way. But you have all of us now. I can’t begin to tell you that I understand how you feel, but I understand why. Please don’t think that you have to hide any of this from me. Or from any of us.” 

“I didn’t tell you this because I want sympathy Scott.”

“I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t offer it, dummy.” Scott wrapped both his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. A tiny bit of her carefully crafted wall that held back all the worries and sadness crumbled under the comfort of Scott’s embrace. It terrified Jayne just as much as it made her feel better that Scott knew now how she felt about her deaths and that he still accepted her. No one else knew the depths of their effect on Jayne; but it was perhaps time to start sharing. 

“I love you baby brother.”

“Love you too Jaynie.”

~~

Later, when Jayne was freshly showered, her hair tamed into a tangled wet braid, Vetra found her sitting in the kitchen sipping a hot cup of coffee, steam rising from the top in gentle waves. Vetra stood behind Jayne and rested her chin on the top of Jayne’s head, her hands slowing massaging Jayne’s shoulders. Ever since Jayne explained exactly how a massage worked, Vetra’s hands were never far away, kneading the tension or soreness from her muscles or to help her wind down. Jayne had offered to do the same, but it proved much more difficult to massage a Turian, even in the in between places of their plating.

“I saw Scott’s eye. You really did a number on him.”

“Yeah, it was an accident. I shouldn’t have been aiming for his face and he didn’t duck and it was just one big mess. He’ll be alright though.” Jayne tilted her head up to press her lips in a quick kiss to Vetra’s mandible. Vetra responded exactly as she’d hoped: with a playful chirp that filled Jayne with a sense of pride every time she heard it. “What have you been up to?”

“I was working on a project with Gil.” Vetra fluttered her mandibles over the top of Jayne’s head. She closed her eyes at the feeling of calm that washed over her from Vetra’s attention. 

“What kind of project?”

“The secret kind.” 

“That’s not fair. I’m your girlfriend! You have to tell me everything!” Vetra laughed at that, a low rumbling vibrating against Jayne’s back. Both of their jobs included some degree of discretion, which Jayne struggled at maintaining. She teased Vetra about being so good at keeping secrets; Jayne barely lasted an hour of keeping their relationship quiet after she kissed Vetra on Kadara. 

“I’ll tell you once it’s finished, don’t worry.” 

“I’m just teasing. Besides, I have a feeling Gil will tell me if I ask him enough times.” 

“Don’t you dare Jayne!”

“Fine, fine, I won’t ask-”

_ Pathfinder, we will be arriving at Pas-29 in one hour. Kallo is beginning preparations for the scans.  _

“Thanks SAM.” Jayne sighed, setting her cup of coffee down on the table. “Duty calls, V.” 

She made to get up, but the gentle weight of Vetra’s hands on her shoulders kept her in her seat. Jayne twisted and looked up at Vetra who wore a look of concern on her face. 

“Wait.” Uh oh. Vetra glanced around nervously, her eyes finally settling on Jayne’s once she found the courage to speak again. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Of course I know that. And I do.” 

“Okay. I just worry about you. You don’t look as happy as you used to and I just want you to know that if there’s something bothering you, you can come to me about it, no matter what it is. We’ve been through hell and back again. You’ve seen shit, I’ve seen shit, so we’ve both got our baggage.”

“I just miss you is all.” It wasn’t a complete lie. But how could she tell her girlfriend that sometimes she felt that things would have been easier if she no longer existed? That the monotony of her work was driving her crazy and it hardly seemed worth it anymore? There was a big difference in talking about her insecurities and talking about wanting to just disappear. “I promise, Vetra. I’ll tell you if something is bothering me. Okay? But everything is just fine.”

“You promise you aren’t just saying that?”

“I swear it, Vetra.” 

“Well come on then, we better get up to the bridge.”


	6. Paint it Black

“Initiating first scan.” Jayne stood behind Suvi’s chair, watching with bated breath as the scanning of Pas-29 began. They had dissected the planet into quadrants to make the scans more thorough so they could catch anything and everything. She was nervous and rightfully so. It felt like everything was riding on them discovering something on the volcanic planet. Jayne wasn’t the only one that felt tense; Scott had not spoken a word to anyone since SAM announced that they had arrived at Pas-29. Vetra paced back and forth across the bridge, her arms crossed, shoulders hunched inward. The only person that seemed at ease was Gil, who leaned casually against the wall, telling jokes that made more than one person groan.

“What’s the difference between a snowman and a snowwoman?” Gil snickered at his own joke, a single clue that the punchline was probably as stupid as the joke itself. Jayne glanced over her shoulder, trying to smile at Gil’s obvious attempt to lighten the mood. He winked at her, and after a well thought out pause, he answered. “Snowballs!”

Gil’s joke received its intended reaction: Kallo shook his head, sucking his teeth, Suvi giggled quietly, Vetra threatened to end him, and Jayne and Scott both groaned, the former in despair, the latter in appreciation of the joke. Fueled by his success, Gil started muttering to himself, preparing another incredibly dumb joke to tell. Jayne turned her attention back to Suvi and the scanning, watching the screen for any results. It still amazed her that they could be floating safely above the active volcanoes in the planet’s atmosphere and yet still obtain so much information from the height of the volcanoes to the depth to the planet’s core. She didn’t quite understand the science of it, the why and how it worked, but she was grateful that they could glean all of that from a safe distance. Jayne only planned on leaving the ship if they found something and even that was debatable. 

“What’s brown and sticky?”

“A stick?”

“Jayne, it’s no fun if you guess the answer! It takes away the fun, the mystery, the humor of it all!”

“Is that your idea of humor,” Kallo quipped, not even bothering to turn in his seat to look at the engineer. Gil stuttered, unable to find his voice. The quiet hum of the ship’s drive core kept them company while Suvi continued scanning the first quadrant of the planet. It was apparent it was going to be a little slower process than anticipated. Despite the volcanoes, there was still a lot of ground to cover, checking every inch of the planet volcanoes and all. There was the possibility that the Quarian ark could have crashed into one, could be covered by hardened lava, among so many other things. Jayne refused to acknowledge the worst case scenario, even though the thoughts gnawed at the back of her mind with a growing hunger. 

“I can’t stand around and watch this or else I’m going to tear my hair out from nerves,” Scott announced, turning on his heel and leaving the bridge. Gil and Vetra followed not too long after him, the pair chatting about something under their breath, much to Jayne’s dismay. Ever since Vetra mentioned whatever secret project she said she worked on, the thought of it captured her curiosity and held it. That combined with the nerves she felt about what they might or might not discover under the layers of molten and hardened lava was enough to drive her into a frenzy. On the outside Jayne appeared serene, but everything inside was in turmoil and it made her stomach hurt. 

Between the old, familiar pressure of success, her ongoing existential crisis, and the lie she told Vetra, Jayne was terrified of how she might react if they didn’t find anything, or worse, they found the ship destroyed. They risked too much to come here and the tide of guilt from dragging her friends into it rose from her ankles to her calves. The only option that was in front of them now was to keep moving forward and pray that it paid off. So far in her career as Pathfinder, everything worked out, albeit with a few bumps in the road. She hoped that this would be the same. But Jayne had a sickly feeling that her luck was going to run out soon and in a most dramatic, fantastical way. 

“Suvi, let me know if anything comes up, okay? I’ll be back in a few hours.” Jayne couldn’t force herself to stare at that screen any longer, even if it had only been fifteen minutes. After sparring with Scott and her anxiety rising to an all time high, a nap sounded like a much better idea to pass the time until they found something. Even with Vetra sharing her bed, she slept restlessly, lying in the circle of Vetra’s arms wide awake for several hours before catching a single hour of sleep.

“Of course, Pathfinder.” 

In mere minutes, Jayne stretched out across her bed, letting her body take up as much space as it possibly could. Space left her feeling small and insignificant in size, and stretching her limbs out as far as she could gave the facade that she was larger than her five feet and six inch stature. Jayne’s eyes flitted over that cursed air vent, moving on past it in an attempt to skip the whole hyper-focus stage before falling asleep. She closed her eyes, slowing her breathing to a less anxious pace. Quickly slipping into sleep, Jayne barely noticed when Vetra crawled into bed beside her, gathered her in her arms, and held her tight. 

~~

“Babe, wake up.” Vetra stroked a taloned finger up and down Jayne’s arm. Her glasses were gone and when Jayne rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, the gentle look in Vetra’s eyes reinforced how crazy in love Jayne was with her. Jayne kissed Vetra clumsily, still weary from being woken up. “Suvi called down. She got a hit that might be worth checking out.” 

“How long has it been?” Vetra glanced at her omni tool, then back at Jayne sheepishly.

“Six hours or so. We all agreed it was best to let you catch up on some sleep since we hadn’t found anything yet. Suvi just started scanning the second quadrant about half an hour ago, so we’re on track to finish up irn time to get back before Tann and his ship.”

Jayne rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. Six hours. She had been more tired than she thought. Vetra continued to run her fingers back and forth across Jayne’s back, waiting patiently for her to decide what to do. Minutes passed in comfortable silence.

“Jayne.”

“I’m awake.” With her voice muffled by the pillow, Jayne sounded like a pouting teenager, uneager to wake up for school. 

“Then get up. Let’s go see what Suvi found.”

“Will you braid my hair?” Jayne turned her head to the side so she could look at Vetra, adding a pleading tone to her voice. She knew Vetra would; the turian loved carding her talons through Jayne’s hair and after instruction and a lot of practice, her braiding skills were far superior to Jayne’s own. Vetra huffed in mock annoyance, although the rest of her body betrayed her as she nodded in agreement. Jayne pushed herself up into a sitting position in front of Vetra, eagerly awaiting the grooming session. Vetra hummed softly as she twisted Jayne’s hair this way and that, starting at the crown of her head until all of her lavender dyed hair lie in two tamed braids. 

“I love you, V.” Vetra fluttered her mandibles against the back of Jayne’s neck in response before pushing her gently to stand up. Jayne dressed quickly in her under suit, the thick black material a second skin on her body. She needed to be prepared for anything, especially leaving the ship. 

Apparently Scott had the same idea: he wore a twin to Jayne’s outfit in a dark shade of orange that matched Raeka’s coloring. Scott held up a hand in an effort to warn her from teasing him, a warning she accepted with a disgruntled sigh. After her confession Jayne felt a little unsettled around him even after his cool acceptance and obvious love and support for her. Ribbing him about things brought about a sense of normalcy. 

“You’re no fun, Scott.”

“I’ll be fun again once we find the ark.” Vetra pushed her way in between them, wrapping an arm around each of them as they walked up to the bridge.

“You both need to cheer up. This is exciting! Maybe we’ll get shot at; that’ll get your blood pumping again.”

“I’m not sure how not getting shot at ranks on the scale of fun to not fun, but it’s definitely leaning more toward the not fun end of things.” Scott poked Vetra in the side, looking a little bit more cheerful than a minute ago. 

“Semantics.” 

Suvi waited for them at the door to the bridge, a data pad in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. She bounced on her feet excitedly, the coffee splashing over the sides of the mug and onto the floor. Upon seeing the trio, Suvi came to a stop, reaching out her hand with the data pad in it. Jayne accepted it and immediately began scrolling through the data it contained, lips pursed in a tight line as she read. 

“Are you sure?”

“As sure as I’ll ever be. The heat signatures match and it has the same traces of metal as the other arks. It’s a pretty good chance Pathfinder. I just hope it’s it.” Suvi cradled her mug of coffee in both hands now and took a small sip. Jayne handed the data pad to her brother, and Scott after reading over it in record time, passed it to Vetra who’s only response was to pull her mandible in tight against her face.

“Let’s not get our hopes up, okay? But be ready for anything.”

A shuttle waited for them in the hangar bay, the smaller drive core humming loudly. Scott took the pilot’s seat while Jayne and Vetra buckled into passenger seats nearby. The hangar ramp opened and out they went, flying even closer to the volatile planet below them. Lava bubbled in pits, exploding with spectacular popping sounds. They steered clear of any volcanoes that were smoking; there wasn’t time to be caught up in a catastrophic eruption. As they neared the location that Suvi designated, a knot started to form in Jayne’s stomach. The closer they got, the bigger it became until it took all she had to keep herself from throwing up. 

After landing on the flattest piece of earth they could find, they ventured out, mindful of where they walked. The ground shifted beneath them unsteadily, bits of earth cracking so that lava could ooze out. Jayne was glad for the environmental controls in her suit; without them, the heat would be insufferable and she would be sweating buckets. As they walked along, they searched for signs of the ship, but with the ever-changing plates beneath the surface and constant flow of lava, they weren’t having any luck. 

Jayne led Scott and Vetra up a path between two smaller volcanoes, following the signal on her omni tool. They were getting closer. She hoped that they found the ship and its inhabitants mostly unharmed, but she also hoped that they weren’t there at all. Doubt-filled and worried, she reached the crest of the path and stopped. An enormous crater lay at the bottom of the path and it was certainly big enough for the crash landing of an ark. Besides the crater though, nothing else seemed to look out of place: no sheared rocks, nothing. If the ark landed there, it was like the ship nosedived straight into the earth. Which that made no sense at all because there wouldn’t have been anything to slow them down before impact. 

“I don’t think this is it, guys.” Jayne spoke through the internal mic in her helmet, alerting Vetra and Scott to her thoughts. “A ship the size of the ark and with all of its wings would have made a bigger mess than this. And the pilot wouldn’t have flown it straight down from the sky.”

“But with the volcanoes though, it might have made a difference. It has been almost two years Jayne,” Scott countered, bending over with his hands on his knees. Jayne sympathized; the trek just from the shuttle to where they stood now was rigorous and steep, and Scott was still accustomed to life on a station. “Come on, let’s go check it out real quick. Something set off the scanner.” 

“Is anyone else feeling a little warm?” Vetra fanned herself despite the helmet.

“We’ll be done soon, don’t worry.” Jayne reassured Vetra just as much as she was trying to reassure herself. The knot in her stomach started to tie itself even tighter, but this time not because she was nervous, but because the impending feeling of failure was starting to creep its way back in. Logically Jayne knew that the ship being there or not being there was completely out of her control and she was only a bystander. But that didn’t stop her from feeling like there was more that she could have done, that doing something differently would have changed the outcome. 

Vetra squeezed her shoulder as she continued on the path, heading down toward the crater. Jayne followed quietly, picking her way around cracks in the ground and bits of lava that dribbled down the side of one of the volcanoes. Once they reached the crater Jayne immediately began scanning everything, trying to figure out what triggered the Tempest’s scanners. Every few feet, the scanner on Jayne’s omni tool would start to trill when it found something that matched their query, but most turned out to be traces of metal common in a vast amount of ships. Something definitely crashed there at some point, but it wasn’t the Keelah Si’yah. Disappointed with their lack of findings, Jayne sat down on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. Both Scott and Vetra continued to search for a few more minutes before they too quit and sat down beside her. After sitting in silence for five minutes, the earth below them started to rumble and shake.

“That’s our sign. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Scott jumped to his feet, offering both his hands to pull Vetra and Jayne up. With his help, they both stood, taking a look around the crater one last time. Smoke billowed out from the top of the volcano on their right, thick and black and ominous. A whistling noise split the atmosphere and a hunk of rock came hurtling through the sky, landing in the crater not too far from where they stood. With a quick glance between each other, they started to run at full speed back toward the shuttle. Rocks and earth fell from the sky, some of them flaming, others piercing their ears with that unearthly whistle. Jayne brought up the rear of their group. She glanced over her shoulder, just in time to watch lava explode out the top of the volcano, spilling down the sides. 

“Go! RUN!” They pushed themselves even faster, the shuttle now in sight. “Scott, get that thing off the ground as fast as you can!”

Scott shouted something in reply, but it was almost impossible to hear him over the crash of rock against land. The lava closed in on them, moving much faster than Jayne anticipated. At long last they were at the shuttle. While Scott fired it up, Jayne stood at the open hatch, waiting to warn Scott if things got too hairy. 

“Scott…. Hurry it up, please!”

“It takes it a bit to warm up, Jayne!”

“We don’t have a bit! We’re going to be toast if we don’t get this shuttle off the ground!”

“I’m working on it!” The shuttle came to life and started to rise from the ground. Thankfully, it was just in time, because the lava swallowed up the piece of land they had just been resting on. Scott flew them quickly and deftly through the maze of volcanoes, careful to dodge any flying rocks until he lifted them up into the sky, back to the Tempest. 

The hangar bay hatch opened for them and in a matter of minutes, they were shedding their hardsuits and helmets. Gil saw the pained look on Jayne’s face and disappeared into the shuttle without a word. 

“I’ll go up to the bridge and talk to Suvi if you want, Jayne,” Vetra offered. Jayne nodded and began to make her way to the showers where she locked the doors behind her so no one could see her cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the abrupt ending, I've been hyper-focused on writing for MEBB so this chapter kind of fell through the cracks this week. I promise to have some better content next week! also, make sure to check out the playlist to accompany this fic, link in the first chapter! <3 appreciate all of you so much!


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